New record set for Alex Katz, but less-familiar names also exceed expectations

Christie's sale in London totals £23m with Modern British artists rubbing shoulders with international post-war names

Art is pitched as an asset class, but even big-name artists are not guaranteed to hold their value, let alone turn a profit

Burgeoning private museums offer cause for hope among economic uncertainty and geopolitical turbulence

Although one Mayan relief was withdrawn, the Mexican government condemned the "illegal" sale but auctioneer Millon defends it as "perfectly legitimate"

Our pick of highlights from upcoming auctions and fairs

Sweeping demonstrations are putting people off buying art, but relations with the US are likely to have a greater long-term effect

We revisit interviews about the headline-making auction of the famous painting, its origins and its present whereabouts

Olyvia Kwok launches series of invitation only events in London and New York offering financing against big-ticket works for collectors looking to circumvent auctions

Market is not “as effervescent as it was”, but £36m total is the auction house’s highest in June for over a decade despite disappointing results for Modern works

A £16m Francis Bacon self-portrait and a record for a little-known German artist enliven an otherwise dry sale in London as totals fall 40% on last year

Records set for Tschabalala Self and Kara Walker as a new wave of works by contemporary artists come to auction—bucking the pale, male and stale status quo

The discovery of the revolver suggests it was suicide, not murder

Salesroom hopes that capitalising on the trend for curated auctions will help to generate a renaissance in an underserved market

Our pick of items from auctions and fairs around the world over the next fortnight

The London-based collector Davinder Toor holds one of the most significant collections of Sikh works in the US and the UK

The first rule of art fairs is don't talk about auctions—but sometimes they can benefit artists and their dealers

Ethics specialist Piergiorgio Pepe claims the power in the art industry is still held in the hands of a few

Barnes Foundation’s sale of founder’s items follows nominal payment for lease of valuable land

Our pick of highlights for sale over the next fortnight

Around 18,000 people invested in the now bankrupted company's manuscripts collection, but state says many items of historical importance should never have been sold

The auction house cites increasing interest in Aboriginal art among US collectors and institutions

Christie's American art sales this week realise a new record for Hartley but Sotheby's struggles to get the pricing right on Hopper's Shakespeare scene

After the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's sale of its Rothko, we discuss the principles that guide deaccessioning in the US and speak to activists about the Whitney vice-chairman's problematic link to a weapons manufacturer

Dana Schutz’s record broken twice in one night at Phillips then Sotheby's, while the bidder behind the $91m Koons Rabbit buys Lee Krasner painting for $10m

Post-war and contemporary sale in New York also produced a big sale for Robert Rauschenberg and new records for Louise Bourgeois and Jonas Wood

Market is alive and kicking at the top for prime Impressionist works, though Bouguereau's uncomfortably placed, 19th-century Bacchanalian scene failed to sell

Fresh material from big collections led the $399m New York auction, while mid-tier Monets primed the market for his $55m haystacks work at Sotheby's tonight

Christie’s values the Japanese-influenced picture of the asylum garden at $25m

Our pick of highlights from upcoming auctions